Railway track structure and method of installing the same



w. DALTON 2,069,577

RAILWAY TRACK STRUCTURE AND METHOD OF INSTALLING THE SAME Feb. 2, 1937.

Filed Spt. 5. 1955 3 Sheets-Sheet l F/aZ //Vl EN 7-0;? WZLL [AM 124 L TUN Arrwwvsrs Feb. 2, 1937. w DALTQN 2,069,577

RAILWAY TRACK STRUCTURE AND METHOD OF INSTALLING THE SAME Filed Sept. 5, 1955 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 //v4//v 70/ WA M 17/; L TUN 7'7'UR/VYS RAILWAY TRACK STRUCTURE AND METHOD OF INSTALLING THE SAME M w. DALTON Feb. 2, 1937.

Filed Sept. 5, 1935 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 /5 My 7 55 N7 hM /M M 7 /M T Patented Feb. 2, 1937 RAILWAY TRACK STRUCTURE AND METHOD OF INSTALLING rim SAME -William Dalton, Schenectady, N. Y.

Application September 5, 1935, Serial No. 39,279

15 Claims.

It is well known that rail joints are expensive to make and to maintain. Furthermore in general the life of a track rail is limited by failure at the joint, and a very large proportion of discarded rails are discarded because of such failure. It has hitherto been proposed to weld rails together to provide a continuous track rail or sections much longer than the usual track rails and which may be of the order. of 2000 or 3000 feet in length. Rails of such length, however, require for their successful use in a track means for holding the long lengths of rails from buckling laterally of the rail and from expanding or contracting lengthwise thereof under the stresses or strains set up therein due to temperature variations. ,The present arrangement consists generally of a tie plate screw spiked to a wooden tie and a clamp to hold the rail frictionally to the tie plate.

Attempts have also been-made to weld rail fastenersto track rails. Such welds, however, so far as I am aware, have been madeat the edge of the flange of the rail, which has caused the flange to check at the edge thereby not only impairing or destroying altogether the weld, but injuring the rail itself.

One of the objects of my invention is the provision of means for securingthe track. rails to the track structure by means which prevent therails from buckling laterally and which also prevent endwise movement of the rails, due to the expansion or contraction thereof under variations in temperature to which the track is subjected.

A specific object of my invention is the provision of a track structure in which the track rail is secured to the track by means of rail clamps which are welded to the rail at points remote from the edge of the flange of the rail and preferably to the flange of the rail at. points remote from the edge thereof and which are also secured to the track structure.

7 A further object of my invention is the provision of a track structure having a tie comprising two spaced bars extending transversely of the track and with rail clamps or specially formed members welded to the upper sides of said bars thereby serving as braces-for such upper sides as well as serving to secure the track rail to the tie.

A further object of my invention is a method of installing ties with rail clamps or fasteners welded thereto which permits of much of the welding being carried out at the shop and minimizing the amount of field welding that mustbe carried out.

Other objects of my invention will be pointed out in the specification and the novel features thereof will be pointed out in the claims.

My invention will best be understood by reference to the accompanying drawings in which I have illustrated a preferred embodiment thereof and in which Fig. 1 is a plan view of a section of track embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a transverse section through the track rails and illustrating certain parts in elevation;

Fig. 3 is a transverse section taken along the line 33 of Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 4 is a transverse section taken along the I line 4-4 of Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 5 is a plan view of a section of track of modified form; v

Fig. 6 is a View similar to Fig. 5 showing a further modification;

Fig. '7 is a section through the track structure illustrated in Fig. 5; I Fig. 8;is a transverse section through the track structure illustrated in Fig. 6;

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary plan view of a single tie and a single track rail supported thereon and illustrating my invention in connection with a tie plate in which the rail clamp is welded to the track rail and spiked to the tie;

Fig. 10 is a view similar to Fig. 9 illustrating a modified form of rail clamp which is welded to the tie plate and to the rail;

Fig. 11 is a vertical sectional view through Fig. 9 illustrating the tie and the tie plate in side elevation;

Fig. 12 is a view similar to Fig. 11 but taken through Fig. 10;

Fig. 13 is a plan view illustrating a modification of the arrangement shown in Fig. 10;

Fig. 14 is a fragmentary plan view of a modified form of track structure and Fig. 15 is a fragmentary perspective of one form of tie plate.

Referring to the drawings and first to Fig. 1, ill indicates generally a track tie comprising metallic portions indicated generally at E0! which are connected by an insulating member, preferably in the form of a timber. The metallic portions of the tie comprise spaced metallic bars H which may be in the form of sections of discarded steel'rails joined at their outer ends by a metallic member 12 which may advantageously be in the form of angle bars or splice bars which are preferably welded to the bottom flanges of the bars. The metallic portions of the ties are pref.- erably the same at each side of the track and the description of one will suffice for both. Thev two metallic portions of the steel tie are connected together by a timber I3, the ends of which are received between the bars or rails II at each side of the track and are shaped to conform to the contour thereof, as best illustrated in Fig. 3, while the middle portion of the timber I3 may be rectangular in cross section as indicated in Fig. 4. The inner ends of the rail sections I I are clamped against the ends of the timber I3 by bolts I4. It will of course, be understood that the tie may be formed entirely of metal when it is unnecessary to insulate the track rails.

The track rails I 5 which may be in the form of continuous track rails or comparatively long sections of the order of 2000 or 3000 feet in length, for example, are supported on the rail sections I I which form a part of the tie. I have for convenience referred in the claims to a rail as being supported on a tie although it will be understood that it is, in fact, only partially supported thereon, as it finds support on other ties. In the embodiment of my invention illustrated in Figs. 1 to 4, the rails I5 are secured to the ties by rail clamps or fasteners I6 which are here illustrated as plates generally triangular in form. The inner edge of the clamp I Bis welded to the .track'rail I5 at a point remote from the edge of the flange I1, and

r to the web I 8 of the rail, as at I 9. The outer edge preferably at the portion of the flange adjacent of the rail clamp I6 is welded to the upper sides of the rail sections or bars II as indicated at 20,

the rail clamp thus serving as a brace for the upper sides of such rail sections. In the embodiment of my invention illustrated in Figs. 1-4, the rail clamps IE5 are welded alternately to the inside and to the outside of the, associatedrail and are welded to successive ties. The clamps which are 7 connected .on opposite sides of the track to a given tie are both either on the outside or on the inside of the rails. The rails are thus secured to the ties'firmly enough to prevent lateral buckling of the rails or endwise movement thereof .under the stresses and strains set up in the rail due to variations in temperature to which they are subjected, and which would otherwise cause either buckling or endwise movement thereof. It will be noted that the clamp I6 is welded at one edge to the tie at spaced points 20 while it is welded to the rail at a single point. While Ihave illustrated in Figs. 1 to 4 therail clamps alternately on the outside and the inside'of the rail it will beunderstood that they might all be located on the inside or all on the outside of the rail. 7

In the embodiment of my'invention illustrated in Figs. 5 and '7, I have illustrated the track rails seated on wooden ties I3I, a pad 2| of flexible resilient material such as rubber being interposed between the lower side of the rail and the tie thereby permitting a certain amount of relative movement between the rail and the tie under the wave action of the rail and, at the same time, preventing wear in the tie. In the embodiment of my invention thus illustrated the free ends of the clamps are secured to the wooden tie by screw spikes ZZ, passing through openings in the pads 2 I. .The free ends of the clamps I 6 are preferably spaced slightly from the rubber pad 2| in order further to provide flexibility between the rail and the tie and permit relative movement therebeclamp I6.

are exerted between the threads of the screw spikes and the fibers of the wood of the tie which opening in the clamp I6. While spring washers 23 are also shown interposed between the heads of the spikes and the clamps, it will be understood that for light workno spring washers and no rubber pads may be necessary, while in extreme cases spring washers and rubber pads may be found necessary. g

In the embodiment of my invention illustrated in Figs. 9 and 11, the'track rail-is seated on a tie plate 24 which is in turn secured to a wooden tie. The tie plate may conveniently be secured to the tie by means of screw spikes 24I'while the clamp, may be secured to the tie by means of a single spike 22 passing through an opening in the free end of the clamp, the head of the spike preferably being spaced from the tie plate. I6 maybe welded to the rail at spaced points III as in Fig. 1. i

The structure illustrated in Figs. 10 and 12 is similar to that illustrated in Figs. 9 and 11 except for the fact that the rail clamp IBI is in the general form of a plate which has greater torsional flexibility than that illustrated in Fig. '1 and is 25 The rail clamp preferably in the shape of a T, the cross piece I62 I indicated at 25.

When the tie plate is cambered longitudinally of the track in the usual manner and as indi-;;

I63 is welded to the tie plate at a single point as cated at 26 in Fig-15.the support for the track rail on the tie plate is theoretically a line, and the track rail may rock about the curved surface of the tie plate under the wave action produced by the rolling load imposed thereon. The single weld at the outer end of the clamp is preferably located opposite the normal line of supportbetween the track rail and the tie plate; The torsional flexibility of the railclamp coupled with the fact that the rail clamp is welded to the tie plate opposite the normal line of support'between the tie plate and the track rail permits thenecessary twisting of the clamp to compensate for the wave action imposed upon the rail due to the V a rolling load without breaking the weld either be- .in Fig. 13, Iprovide a bar 21 welded to the steel tie on the outside of the track rail which prevents outward movement of the rail, and ass.

similar bar is welded tothetie on the opposite side of thetrack, the bars serve to hold the rails firmly to gauge. While I have found in practice that the clamps shown in Fig. 10 are generally suflicient to prevent lateral movement of the track rails, the bars 21 when welded to the steel. tie serve as arigid stop to prevent any tendency of the rails to spread and thus hold the rails to gauge. Such bars are desirable particularlyin the case of heavy traffic and high speeds.

It will be obvious that the construction shown in Fig. 13 is equally applicable to all steel ties or to insulated ties of the character illustrated in Fig. 1.

I The cross bars 21' not only'serve to-hold the rails to gauge; but when welded to the tie at the shop serve to strengthen the tieuntil it is placed in the track. The ties are in' practice thrown from cars and subjected to all kinds of rough usage, particularly when they are being unloaded, and the cross bars 21 serve the further useful purpose of maintaining the ties intact during transport. All of the bars 21 are located on the outside of the rails, while the rail clamps l6l which are welded to the rails, and secured to the ties in the manner described in connection with Fig. were all located onthe inside of the rails;

In Fig; 14 of' the drawings I have illustrated a novel method of installing all steel ties or ties having steel sections which minimizes the amount of field welding. The clamps l6 may be welded to the metallic portions IEH of the tie at the shop with the free ends of the clamp extending in the same direction from the weld and spaced to correspond to the track gauge. Then when the ties are shipped to the point of use it is only necessary to slide the tie with the clamp secured thereto beneath the rail and weld the free end of the clamp to the rail, thus minimizing the amount of field welding which it is necessary to carry out at the point of installation.

By welding the rail clamps to the rails and securing the same to the ties or to the tie plates which are seated thereon, I find in practice that the track rails may be secured to the ties with sufiicient firmness to prevent lateral buckling of the rails and also to prevent endwise movement thereof under the stresses and strains to which they are subjected due to the variation in temperature to which they are subjected. While the track rails may be secured to the ties with sufficient firmness to prevent the foregoing difficulties in continuous track rails or long sections thereof and I have described my invention as particularly useful for this purpose, it will be understood that my invention is not limited to track rails of this particular construction.

While I have described my invention in its preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that the words which I have used are words of description and not of limitation. Hence, changes within the purview of the appended claims may be made without departing from the true scope and spirit of my invention in its broader aspects.

What I claim is:

1. In a railway track structure, a metallic tie, a track rail directly supported on said tie, and a rail clamp welded to the base of said rail and to said tie.

2. In a railway track structure, a tie comprising two spaced metallic bars extending transversely of the track, a track rail directly supported on said tie, and a clamp welded tothe base of said track rail and to the upper sides of said bars.

3. In a railway track structure, a tie plate secured to said tie, a track rail supported on said tie plate, the seat for said track rail being cambered longitudinally of said rail, and a rail clamp welded to said rail and to said plate, one of the welds being at spaced points on opposite sides of the line of engagement between said track rail and said tie plate and the other being at or near said line of engagement.

4. A metallic rail clamp for a track rail, said clamp being T-shaped in form, the leg of said clamp being adapted to be welded to said rail and the transverse portion of which is adapted to be Welded to the supporting structure of the rail.

5. In a railwaytrack structure, a rail supporting structure comprising a metallic portion, a track rail supported on said structure, and a metallic clamping member welded to the track rail at one edge and to ametallic portion of said track supporting structure at the other, one of said edges of said clamping member being welded to the associated structure at spaced points, said clamping member having sufficient torsional flexibility to permit relative movement of the track supporting structure and the track rail under the rolling load imposed thereon without breaking the welds while preventing lateralancl V endwise movement of said rail.

6. In combination, unitary railway track ties spaced the usual distance in the track and having metallic portions, and metallic rail clamps welded to metallic portions of said tie, the free ends of said clamps extending in the same direction from the respective welds longitudinally of said tie and spaced to correspond to the gauge of the track whereby the said tie with said clamps secured thereto may be slid into position beneath the track rails and said clamps welded to said rail.

'7. The method of installing a track tie having metallic portions in position and securing a track rail thereto which comprises welding rail clamps at one of their edges to metallic portions of said tie with their free ends extending in the same direction from the weld longitudinally of the tie and spaced to correspond to the gauge of the track, sliding the tie beneath the track sufiiciently to bring said clamps into engagement with the respective track rails and then welding the free ends of said clamps to the respective track rails, and then securing the opposite flanges of said rail to said tie.

8. In a railway track structure, a tie comprising two spaced metallic bars extending transversely of the track, a track rail supported directly on said tie, a rail clamp welded to the base of said track rail on its inner side and to said tie, and a cross bar secured to said metallic bars on the outside of said rail and engageable therewith.

9. In a railway track structure, a tie comprising two spaced metallic bars extending transversely of the track, spaced track rails supported directly on said tie, clamps welded to said tie and to the bases of said rails on the inner sides thereof, and means secured to said tie and engageable with the outside of the rails for holding said rails to gauge.

10. In a railway track structure, a tie comprising two spaced metallic bars, spaced track rails supported directly on said tie, clamps welded to said tie and to the bases of said rails on the inner sides thereof, and cross bars welded to said metallic bars and engageable with the respective track rails on the outer sides thereof for holding the same to gauge.

11. The method of securing a track rail to a railway track structure which comprises welding a torsionally flexible rail clamp to the track rail at spaced points and to the track structure at a single point whereby relative movement between said rail and said track structure is permitted under the rolling load imposed thereon while preventing lateral and endwise movement of the rail.

12. In a railway track structure, a tie comprising two spaced metallic bars extending transversely of the track, a track rail supported on said tie, and a clamp welded to each of said bars and welded with a single weld to said track rail.

13. In a railway track structure, a supporting structure comprising a metallic portion, a track rail supported thereon, a torsionally flexible rail clamp welded to the track rail at spaced points and to the metallic portion of said track structure at a single point, whereby relative movement between said rail and said track structure is permitted under the rolling load imposed on the track rail without breaking the welds while preventing lateral and endwise movement of the rail.

14. In a railway track structure, a supporting structure comprising a metallic portion, a track rail supported thereon, a torsionally flexible rail clamp welded to said track rail and to the me,.

tallic portion of said track structure, one of said w' elds being made at spaced points and the other at a single point whereby relative movement between said track rail and said supporting structure is permitted under the wave action induced by the rolling load imposed thereon while preventing lateral and endwise movement of the rail. 15. In a railway track structure, a metallic tie, a track rail directly supported on said tie, and a. rail clamp having torsional flexibility under the rolling load imposed onthe track rail and welded to the base of said rail and to said tie.

WILLIAM DALTON. 

